Yesterday was almost certainly the only truly warm (80+), sunny day I’ll have here in Berlin, and I wasn’t about to spend it indoors. So as the editors were putting the week’s Feuilleton to bed, I slipped out and hopped on the S-Bahn. Twenty-five minutes later, I was at the Wannsee, which boasts the largest inland beach in Europe. Here’s what it looks like:

Comparing it to, oh, say, Chesapeake Beach near DC, it’s:

– Closer to the city — within city limits, in fact — and easily reachable by public transport

– Cheaper, though the “beaches should be free” advocates of the world still grumble at the 4 euro entrance fee

– Much bigger

– Freshwater, which takes me by surprise at a sandy beach

– Food and beer options abound on the little boardwalk.

– But sadly, I saw no games of ultimate frisbee or volleyball in the water (though there are a couple of beach volleyball courts on land, as well as two life-size chess sets.

In short: Damn. Wish my first two and a half weeks here hadn’t been all rain.